


I lay in the Shadows While you Bask in the Sun

by ozweeego



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Depression, F/F, F/M, Fast Cars, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Popular Sidon, Selectively Mute Link, Sidon's an idiot with Link, Video & Computer Games, Wallflower Link, Zelda's a gr8 sis, i guess i just gotta say that, link is an idiot a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-01-06 00:23:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12200262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozweeego/pseuds/ozweeego
Summary: College life was not what Link expected. He wanted a bustling, developing experience, but it was just like highschool. Boring, dead and a  l o t  more anxiety. Zelda all of a sudden didn't seem like the moral support he was looking for. Too bad he had eyes on someone who never noticed him.The nights were what brought thrill in Link's life, from his car to his computer. From bone jarring speeds of his driving to the 'cheat' like skills of his games, he made a reputation in the world of Hyrule Heroes, building himself a group whom he's never met. Or so he thought? He still can't tell.





	1. All of the Lights

**Author's Note:**

> aight yall so i rewrote this almost completely starting from scratch, so the key elements may stay somewhat similar tho everything else might be different, writing style etc. its still not done but thanks to InsainCat, it has a lot more direction, though it may go from event to event slowly. so here it is again, enjoy?

_Shifting his foot through the lush soil, the moisture began to stick onto the leather of his boots. Leaves cluttered around his feet, piling and tumbling around the trail. Splotches of light littered the ground, breaching through holes in the covers of the trees. He slowly lifted his sword to glance at the beaten weapon. Dried blood and mud was caked on the gleam of the steel. The glare of sunlight was dull, chips and scratches running deep into the metal. He’d have to repair it with the risk of destroying it being this large. Both his health and stamina were depleted, his movement sluggish and lagging. He couldn’t put his guard down no matter how peaceful it seemed. Footsteps became louder behind him, and as he whipped around, he dropped his guard. A red zora, nearing twice his height, jogged up to where he stood, a friendly marker hovering above his head. Even without the marker, the body and the unmistakable crest on the top of his head gave his identity away. He was guildmate Rutala._

_Rutala - Woah, easy there, it’s just me._

_loh - sorry, my healths just running low and i dont want to lose these items or this shit ton of exp_

_Rutala - Ah, alright. No harm done, I forgive you._

_loh - we gotta meet up at hyrule tavern tho, everybodys already going there_

_Rutala - Lead the way._

-

The irritation from the clacking of the keyboard only grew. Zelda cringed and shut her eyes even tighter as she tried to muffle it with her pillow. She threw her face into the sheets and muffled a growl as she stomped out of bed. The chill of the autumn air followed her and she ripped her comforter off the bed to travel with her and keep her warm. Stepping into the hallway, a bright blue light leaked through the slightly ajar door to Link’s room. She peered deeper into his room, and there Link was, at his desk, a large black comforter on him, playing _video games_ . He had headphones in and was playing light music, and even Zelda heard _that_ in the silent house. His eyes didn’t avert to acknowledge her, so either he didn’t notice or he was ignoring her. Either way was the wrong answer.

-

_The tavern was a busy place. Players and non players alike roamed in and out of here, crowding the space most of the time. He was lucky to secure a table large enough… He leaned against the thick oak, resting his head on the old wood. His arms sprawled out and he let out a large sigh, causing others near him to laugh. Food and ale was set in front of him, and quickly consuming that, his health and stamina bars were quickly back into a safe range for his liking. Rutala sat to his side, slowly sipping on his wine as he watched him mirthfully. Other members of their guild began to file into their seats, sitting down with new loot and new injuries. In the first chair to his right, was of course, the knight Rutala. Next to him was the next zora healer in their guild, Miruto. Representing the gorons as he rolled in was Rudaru, their tank. Following in suit were both an expert rito marksman and gerudo magician. The rito went by Medvali and the gerudo by Urosa. They all sat down, and also began resting up for any next quests._

_loh - how much exp did you guys get from this raid?_

_Rutala - 40,000_

_Medvali - 14,000…_

_Rutala - That’s what you get for dying twice._

_Medvali - I wouldn’t have died if loh fucking blocked those attacks!_

_loh - everybody else?_

_Rudaru - I got 28,000?_

_loh - hey, that’s good. still beginning and twice as much as Medvali lol._

_Medvali - Shut the fuck up._

_Urosa - Ha! I got 45,000!_

_Miruto - beat you. i got 50,000._

_Urosa - Hmph._

_Miruto - loh? How about you?_

_loh - uh_

_Urosa - Yeah what about you?_

_loh - 79,000_

Nobody responded for a moment.

_Medvali - How the fuck._

_Urosa - loh are you cheating?_

_loh - what no i just used my exp boost this round_

It went quiet again.

_Medvali - I don’t trust him, Rudaru. I’m gonna keep an eye out._

_Rudaru - Good job typing that on the group chat._

_Medvali - Shit._

_loh - thanks_

Link was about to type another comment, but the sound and feeling of a door slamming against his wall jarred him out of the game. Zelda stood in the open doorway, a tired glare boring into him.

“Link… It’s _two in the morning_ … We have class in _four_ hours…” Her voice was slurred and she winced at the even brighter lights, groaning. Link blinked at her. What did that have to do with anything? “Just… _Please_ , try to get some sleep. For you and me? Tomorrow’s gonna suck for you…” She yawned loudly into her palm and walked back down the hallway. “I’m going to get some more sleepy sleepy. You better do the same.” Link slowly nodded, and turned back to his computer when he heard her body slamming into her bed.

_loh - i gotta log off now, sister got on my ass for playing at 2am_

_Rutala - Hey, wait, it’s 2AM here too._

_Urosa - Same._

_loh - do we live in the same area_

_Medvali - Oh, goddess I hope not._

_loh - ion really give a fuck we can just figure it out tomorrow_

_Rutala - We should log off as well._

_Urosa disconnected_

_Rutala disconnected_

_loh disconnected_

_Shutting Down…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yah comment any criticism shit helps a ton


	2. Good Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man this chapter fucking sucks but oh well. im like a month and a half late?

Link awoke with a jump and a snort from his loud alarm. Too disoriented to reach the clock, Link threw his head into his pillow. Groaning loudly and flailing his arm to try and reach anything, he luckily hit the snooze button and the house was silent again. Cracking an eye open, Link yawned. Three hours of sleep was _not_ good. It probably wasn’t going to change anytime soon...

A tentative foot peeked out of the covers on his bed, poking for any hold on the floor. The cold air immediately assaulted his leg, and he ripped it back in. He shivered, shaking his head. He took a deep breath and ripped his whole body out of the bed, falling against the floor.

 _Holy shit, it’s so cold!_ Link jumped up and down, running out of his room. The thermostat should be somewhere near here… He found the small device on the wall, and the knob read 15 degrees. _What the hell why is it so low!?_ Link grabbed it and ripped it clockwise. It rose to 25 degrees, and Link sighed when he heard a light hum in the vents. _That_ was nice. He heard a snicker to his right, and turned to see Zelda, fully dressed and leaning against the wall with a sly smile. She wore a thick turtleneck and Link’s eyes widened. _She_ turned off the heater!

“Nice morning, huh?” She tried stifling her laughter and easily failed. Link growled and stomped back into his room. He rummaged through his closet, throwing clothes out. He tossed a pair of straight stone jeans and a large forest green work jacket behind him onto his bed. Pulling out old white Air Forces, he set them down on the floor and walked into his bathroom. Stepping into the tiles of the shower, he beamed at the warm water gracing his skin, sighing loudly. These autumn months were the worst in the mornings, and Zelda messing with the temperatures didn’t help.

-

After brushing his teeth and hair, Link was soon dressed. Slipping on the final sleeve, he walked out while gathering his hair in a ponytail. Zelda was sitting on the couch, watching TV and not really acknowledging him. She threw her hand up and pointed to the kitchen with her thumb.

“There’s coffee in the pot and a crepe in the pan.” Link lightened up and hopped over to the kitchen. Food and coffee were a good way to cheer him up.. It was just unsettling that Zelda could read him like a book. He threw the crepe onto a plate and pulled out his mug and scarfed down the sweet foods, smiling as he did.

After eating and gaining a new energy to start his day, he grabbed his bag and went to the door. Zelda stood there waiting, and eyed Link grabbing his keys. She froze.

“ _You’re_ not driving, are you? I-I can drive, we don’t need to take your car..” Link quirked his head, confused. She shivered and shook her head. “Nevermind…” Link walked out the door to his car, and he and Zelda both entered. She immediately grabbed the A-Pillar and door handle, peering at Link. “J-Just don’t speed, ok?” He didn’t respond, only pressing the clutch and shifting into reverse. “Link?” He backed up into the street, and after shifting into first, the car immediately lurched forward. “Link! Wait, Link, _don’t speed!_ ”

-

The car’s stiff suspension bounced lightly as it pulled into the campus parking lot. Zelda heaved, sighing in relief that Link’s driving was abated for a few hours. She noticed Link’s hands beginning to wring the wood of his steering wheel. He was looking at something, or _somebody_ . She looked to where he was staring, and immediately saw who he was looking at. _Sidon Ruta, huh?_ She elbowed his side, making him jolt.

“Oh? You like _Sidonnnn_?” Link looked away, flustered. “Why don’t you just go and tell him?” He slammed his eyes shut and shook his head. What would he tell him? They had been known each other in highschool but they weren’t very close. And pairing that with the fact that Sidon and Mipha are siblings, he couldn’t do that to her! Link’s trouble grew to worry. What was he even feeling about Sidon? He just wanted to know the guy more, get closer to him? Zelda immediately noticed this and tried suppressing a laugh. She giggled and Link shoved her shoulder. He continued driving further into the lot.

_What would I even say…?_

Link’s class was on the opposite side of the campus to Zelda, so they split off at the car. Link turned towards the direction of his class, and was… Right behind where Sidon stood. He began walking that way, keeping his head down so they don’t make eye contact. His mind swirled with thoughts. Anybody could read it from his facial expression. Why was he feeling so anxious? He couldn’t bring himself to actually talk to Sidon, wouldn’t this just help disperse the unrealistic crush? There was a lip in the concrete, and Link, being preoccupied, gasped when he tripped on it. He began falling forward a little and almost caught himself until a pair of hands grabbed him. Link froze and slowly looked up into a red hair and perfect skin framing golden eyes. Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. He fell right into Sidon’s hands!

“Link, are you alr-” Link scrambled and fell out of Sidon’s grasp, trying and failing to collect himself. He shakily nodded and forced a shaky thank you before running past the doors, away from Sidon reaching for him again. “Wait!” Link slid down the hallway, taking a sharp turn. He slammed his back against the wall to catch his breath. He rubbed his hands onto his face. He was _not_ having a good morning.

-

Link was completely fazed. He hid in the back of the room to escape the gaze of his professor, and he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. The _one_ person he was trying to avoid, he fell right into. He threw himself back up, leaning back over the lip of the table. He accidentally kicked the underside, causing a few students around him to snicker or glance over, and he awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of his head. He looked back down to the front of the class, and the professor was looking directly at him. He jumped, and shot his head under the table, making the whole class laugh. _Fuck._

-

As soon as class went out, Link grabbed his belongings and shot out of the room. He felt as if he were a spring that had been compressed, and with the sudden loss of a vice, he was immediately lost in the distance. Running down the long corridor, Link weaved through the crowd of people leaving their own rooms. He shot past the open doors and was outside. Luckily, there were less people, so Link could run faster - Wait. He stopped running. What was he doing? Sidon wouldn’t want to talk to him. He sighed. Link needed to stop living in a fantasy. Looking down, he turned around and began to walk, only to go head-first into someone’s chest. Link fell backwards onto his rump, and the other person stumbled backwards. They both looked at each other to apologize, but froze when they made eye contact. Link was looking directly into the gold eyes of Sidon. Sidon _fucking_ Ruta. There was no escaping now.

“A-Are you alright?” Link laughed inside. Again with Sidon asking if he was alright. Link liked that about him, Sidon _always_ looked out for other people. He nodded and asked the same. Sidon sighed in relief, nodding and sheepishly smiling. “Uh, I was actually about to look for you, but then I realized I wouldn’t know where to find you.” Sidon awkwardly laughed. Link shot his gaze down. A, Sidon was thinking the same thing as he was, and B, he couldn’t help but feel completely flustered by who was talking to him. Sidon moved his hand, and Link couldn’t help but flinch. He rest it on Link’s shoulder. He didn’t externally show it, but that was _not_ a normal gesture for friends, the way he was doing it. “I was actually just about to go to lunch. Care to join me?” Link nodded, and they began walking to the mess hall.

-

Link sat alone in a booth. His and Sidon’s bags were to his right, and he just sat there as Sidon offered to get food for the both of them. Sidon stood in line, and Link watched as he was looking at his phone. Link put his hand in his pocket and slipped out his own, but barely turned on his phone before someone came up behind him.

“Heya, little guy!” A large hand clapped his back, throwing Link off the bench. His phone clattered away on the wood surface as he jumped up and winced. Popping the displaced discs in his spine back into normal, he cringed towards the boisterous laugh thundered behind him. He turned around to meet the source of that mirth, and it was Daruk. Behind him was the black haired Revali, emerald eyes piercing into him. Link ignored that, and smiled as he talked.

Daruk laughed, slapping his stomach with his hands. He looked at his wrist and jumped up. “Uh oh! Revali, we gotta go, we’re running late!” Daruk shot around and ran into the distance. Revali glanced at Link once more and turned around with a spin to his step, running behind Daruk. What was up with him?

Link sighed, and turned back around to sit in his seat. As he seated himself, his phone vibrated. It slid against the wood and almost fell off the table before Link caught it.

_11:46 - Mipha - Soooo, you like Sidonnn???_

Link grit his teeth. He was going to kill Zelda.

_11:47 - NO i dont. zeldas just telling you shit dont listen to her_

_11:47 - Mipha - From what she said, it sounds like you  l o o o o v e him~_

_11:48 - jfc shut up. i dont and it doesnt matter_

_11:48 - Mipha - Alrighty, but don’t get mad at me for arranging the wedding, cuz I already give you my blessing~_

Link slammed his phone against the table so hard he swore he heard the glass crack. As he shook the frustration from his head, Sidon came back into view, carrying the tray with their food.

“Something wrong?” Link immediately shook his head. Sidon wasn’t buying it, but he didn’t press any further. He handed Link the bowl he ordered and set his own in front of him. He was secretly happy Link agreed to eating lunch with him, but with the way Link was acting, he didn’t seem to feel the same way.

-

“I’m going to _kill_ you. Why the fuck did you tell Mipha!?” Link yelled as he drove home.

“I didn’t tell _Mipha_ .” Link looked at her. “I told _everyone_.” Link opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. Zelda was about to chip in another comment, but before she did Link floored the gas pedal. Zelda was thrown back into her seat, the car’s power throwing her body. Link ripped the steering wheel left, and the car lurched and roared eagerly in response. Zelda trusted he wouldn’t crash, but she couldn’t help but scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if yandhi is amazing im gonna cry


	3. Drive Slow

“We should all hang out soon. As a big group. Just like we did in high school, before everybody had  _ lives _ .” Zelda sat across from Link in the dining room, picking at the food on her plate. Her free hand was supporting her head, and her boredom was obvious. She wasn’t very focused, more of just mumbling. 

_ “ _ I play my game so I can talk with my friends whenever I want to, even if they’re busy or not during the day. They aren’t at night.”

“So you’re asking me to just stay up all night and deprive myself from sleep just to interact with friends I don’t even know!?”

“Isn’t that what friends are for? To spend pointless time and energy with to be happy? It doesn’t matter that I don’t really know them, I don’t expect to get along with them in real life...” Zelda opened her mouth to respond, but just looked back down to her food, grumbling in a pouty mood.

“I miss Urbosa. When’s she coming back?” Link snorted. He wished he could tell Mipha who  _ actually  _ was in love. Not him.  _ Her _ .

“Give her a week or so. Gerudo Valley’s far as hell from here and she’s visiting family.” Link giggled and pointed his fork at her. “See, now  _ you’re  _ the one who’s in love, not me.” Zelda slammed her hands on the table.

“Well,  _ duh _ ! We’ve been dating for two years!” She was grouchy, damn. “You’re gonna be  _ just  _ like that with Sidon and  _ much  _ quicker, just you wait!”

“Why do you keep pairing me with Sidon!? What does he have to do with anything!?” Zelda scoffed and laughed loudly.

“Are you  _ kidding  _ me!? Anybody can see you crushing on him! And-” Zelda hesitated.

“And what?”

“... Nevermind.” Link growled, before sighing.

“I-I’m sorry, I just don’t know.” Link leaned low, as if anybody unwelcome could hear them in the empty house. “Is it obvious that I act weird around him?” Zelda nodded wildly, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Yeah, it is so easy to tell! Everyone already knew when I told them and now we have bets on how fast you two start dating!” Zelda gave him a smile she always wore when she didn’t want to get in trouble or yelled at. Link bitterly laughed.

“All of you are going to lose your money, he doesn’t like me. Why would you guys expect him to like me?” This time, Link began picking at his food. All of a sudden, the beef didn’t seem appetizing. The thought of Sidon not liking him back brought a heavy feeling in his gut and a painful feeling in his chest.

“Oh, I don’t know about that…” Zelda mumbled. Link looked up and she smiled at him. “Just wait and see.”

-

Link was at his computer again, this time with Zelda observing him. He was going through the controls slowly to show her what to do, and she had a laptop open.

“... Ok. Now you gotta make a login. Do you want to make a new one or do you want to use my secondary one? You won’t have anything with a new one but you at least have something with mine, even if it’s not the best.”

“I’ll use yours, I guess.”

“Ok.”

Zelda had logged in and gotten used to the controls fairly well. It seemed like any other MMORPG that she had seen, but the graphics surprised her. Everything was relatively realistic, and Link’s avatar even looked like him. Zelda set the view to third person, and she was a little unnerved. This avatar looked like her. Her name was… Prida?

“Prida? What does that mean?”

“Well, you have a sort of ‘princessy’ vibe around you, so when making that character I mashed Princess and Zelda. Prida.” Why did he make an account of her-? Did he expect her to start playing?

“Huh. Wait, what does loh stand for?”

“Link of Hyrule.”

“That’s shit.”

“Yup.”

Zelda lifted up her laptop and stood from Link’s desk.

“Well, I’m going to figure out the rest to this game and see if I can catch up to you guys. If you said Daruk really was able to start and keep up in a matter of a few weeks, I’ll give myself a few days to beat that!” She reassured herself as she walked out the room. Link leaned back in his chair. Uh oh. She might get too invested. Link rose from his desk and grabbed his keys. He walked over to Zelda’s doorway, and leaned into her room.

“I’m gonna go for a drive, I’ll be back late. Don’t stay up too late on that game.” Zelda shooed him away.

“Yeah, yeah. Have a safe trip.” Link walked out the door and walked down to his car. Before he put his key through the slot, something fell onto his hand. He looked up into the cloudy sky, and another drop hit him in the face. He shrugged and sat down in the bucket seat. Rain wouldn’t affect him  _ that  _ much, he’d just have to control the car a little more.

-

Link didn’t really have a true reason to drive. He just wanted to. It usually helped clear his mind, or the adrenaline from almost dying shoved every other thought plaguing him away so he didn’t have to acknowledge it. But… No matter how much he sped up the pass, that same thought persisted. What  _ was  _ Sidon to him? Zelda and Mipha claimed that he was completely infatuated with him, but Link didn’t agree with them… Completely. Sure, he felt something different about Sidon than other friends, like as if he weren’t satisfied with where they were right now. There was that feeling again! Every time that fucking redhead entered his mind, his chest hurt. 

Link was preoccupied, and the car took a jump as it barreled down the straightaway. Link yelped and the tires gave out in the puddled street. The car lurched and spun, Link gripping the wheel the other way and ripping the emergency brake to try and stabilize it. Luckily this stretch of road was wide, and Link managed to get the car to stop fairly quick. He flipped the hazard lights on and sighed in relief. The car revved suddenly bouncing the rev limiter. He jumped, Link didn’t do that. His foot was glued to the brake. It revved again. Was it mad? The rain continued to fall around his car, pouring down his windows. He could hear thunder in the background. Link’s head fell into his hands. He hasn’t spun out in  _ years _ . What the hell was Sidon doing to him?

A car slowly pulled up behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl this shit is just practice cuz i wanna be a creator of literally EVERYTHING and writing with already made characters lets me focus on other shit easier


End file.
